The Restless Heart
by M C Pehrson
Summary: Story #77 Trouble lies ahead as T'Beth's teenage daughters enter high school.


One could say that Trevor Sutton met Bella Lundberg by accident, but T'Beth remembered the day clearly, and she was quite sure it came about through Divine Providence. On the Thanksgiving that followed the Arizona epidemic, she had invited her housekeeper Hilda and Hilda's sister, Bella, to the family gathering. Among the guests were Simon, Dane, and their baby Devon. Since Dane's Uncle Trevor had dropped in on her unexpectedly, she of course brought him along. He was a delightful gentleman, a bachelor in his late fifties, just back from an off-world colony where he had enjoyed a successful career as a rare gem broker. Now that he was getting older, he wanted to make Earth his home again. Over turkey and all the trimmings, Mr. Sutton and the spinster Bella took a liking to one another. Four months later, they married.

A week before the wedding, T'Beth went into labor and delivered a healthy boy named Alexander. All this happened in the same year that little Sam was born to Jim Kirk's widow, Antonia. A corner of T'Beth's heart still grieved for Jim—if, in fact, he was actually dead. A strange woman who called herself Guinan insisted that Jim had not been killed when an energy ribbon damaged the _Enterprise_ ; instead, he had been taken into a peculiar world that existed within the Nexus. Aaron was quietly investigating her claim. But now that little Alex had arrived, T'Beth had other, more immediate concerns to occupy her.

By mutual agreement, Hilda took up residence in the Pascals' pool house. The kindly widow had become more to them than an employee, and Bella's marriage to Trevor made her seem even more like family. Meanwhile, Trevor moved into the home Hilda had shared with her sister Bella. Though the arrangement was meant to be temporary, by summer's end Trevor purchased Hilda's half-interest in the house, and Hilda brought her own bits of furniture to the poolside cottage.

It had been an eventful year, and now T'Beth's older children were heading back to school. Louis, a sturdy boy of seven, promised to be as bright as his father. He had a placid, serious nature, and was quite happy as long as he had something to occupy his mind. At fourteen, Rose-Ellen was an uncommonly sweet girl who always took an interest in her studies. As usual, it was Bethany who made T'Beth lie awake, worrying and praying, long after Alex began to sleep through the night. Bethany had also turned fourteen, and the girls were entering high school…

oooo

St. Mary's Academy would take some getting used to. Bethany had wanted to attend a coed school, but no, Mom wouldn't hear of it. So here she was, outfitted in St. Mary's blue with not a single male in sight, except for Father Paul, who offered daily Mass in the chapel. Mom was naïve if she thought an all-girls school would keep her from meeting boys. Bethany was not like Rose-Ellen, who didn't seem to crave any attention from the opposite sex. More than anything, Bethany wanted a boyfriend.

Each day Rose-Ellen hurried home from the air bus while Bethany hiked up her skirt and walked the neighborhood at a more leisurely pace. She knew just where the good-looking boys lived, the tall ones with deepened voices and muscular arms. Best of all, she knew where Ricky Romano lived when he was not out dashing over the city on his Airbike. On some warm afternoons, he could be seen in the driveway polishing his bike until it gleamed like the red skin of an apple.

One day she stopped and said, "Hey, Ricky! That's a nice bike."

He looked up and when he smiled at her, she felt her insides melting. Ricky walked over. His skin was smooth and dusky, his eyes almost as black as his neatly trimmed hair.

"Want a ride?" he asked.

Her heart pounded madly. Mom would never allow such a thing, but for once Mom wasn't here telling her what to do. Imagine — soaring through the air with Ricky Romano. Smiling broadly, she said, "Sure!"

He brought out a second helmet and helped settle it over her golden hair. Then she climbed on behind him. As she held tight to his slim waist, they rose from the ground and seemed to enter a beautiful dream.

oooo

A week had passed. Home from Starfleet, T'Beth was in the nursery diapering Alex when Bethany arrived, late again. This time the girl did not creep in quietly. The front door banged shut behind her and she came rushing in.

"Mom!" she cried out dramatically. "Mom, I just hate it!"

"Hate what?" T'Beth asked, though she felt sure of the answer and was bracing for the conflict that was sure to come.

Predictably, Bethany said, "That stupid school—I _hate_ it. I want to transfer to Mercy High."

Now here was something new. Until now, Bethany had been begging for a public high school. Why Mercy? The answer seemed simple enough. Mercy was Catholic, but _coed_.

"No," T'Beth said firmly.

Bethany exploded with adolescent angst. "No, no, no! That's all you ever say! It's because I'm part Sy, isn't it?"

Alex screwed up his face and began to cry. The sound of the ruckus brought Hilda. T'Beth handed over the wailing baby, and Hilda whisked him off to Rose-Ellen, who was always willing to help. If only Bethany were more like her sister…

"Well…isn't it?" Bethany demanded.

Sadly T'Beth admitted, "Yes." On Sydok, a girl of Bethany's age would already be sexually active, but this was a different world, a different culture, and the Pascal family considered chastity an important virtue.

"Well, it's no fair!" Bethany cried. "I hate being Sy, and I hate you, too! Why don't you just leave me alone?"

The words knifed T'Beth's heart, but she clung tightly to an inner strength that only God could give her. Forcing her voice steady, she said, "Bethany, I know it's hard. I know how restless you feel, but I love you too much to let you have your way. I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you—and all my children—out of trouble."

Bethany's amber eyes flamed. "Just because you ran wild, doesn't mean I will! Why can't you trust me?"

T'Beth looked at her so long and hard that she turned aside and left the room.

oooo

Bethany's anger simmered all evening. When Dad called them together for night prayers, she faked an upset stomach and went to bed. Afterward, she told Rose-Ellen that prayers were boring.

"How can you say that?" Rose-Ellen countered. "You have to open your heart and let God speak to you."

"I suppose you're going to claim that He talks to you," Bethany said with sarcasm. "Okay then, what does He say?"

Rose-Ellen smiled. "That He loves me…and that He loves you, too."

It was more than Bethany could stand. Pulling the covers over her head, she waited for Rose-Ellen to fall asleep. At ten o'clock, she rose and tiptoed across the room, to the window that faced the side yard. She had left the outside gate ajar. Her heart raced as a dark shape stepped from the shadows of a tree and came closer.

Bethany eased the window open. "Ricky," she whispered.

His eyes glimmered in the moonlight. He touched one hand to the screen and she pressed her palm against his.

"What did they say?" he asked. "Can you transfer to Mercy?"

Tears welled as she shook her head.

He looked disappointed. Suddenly he said, "I don't like this. Look, let's not sneak around. Friday night there's a game at school. Will you go with me?"

"Yes," she answered happily. I can loosen the screen and…"

"I said I don't want to sneak around."

"But it's the only way," she insisted.

"Ask them," he said. "Ask your parents. You never know."

Long after Bethany closed the window, she lay awake remembering the sweetness of Ricky's touch. A sixteen-year-old boyfriend! Mom would explode like a photon torpedo.

oooo

As the family gathered for breakfast the next morning, Bethany had such little appetite that a dreadful possibility flashed into T'Beth's mind. Pushing the specter of teen pregnancy aside, she spooned some cereal into the baby's mouth.

Abruptly Bethany announced, "Ricky Romano wants to take me to a game at Mercy High on Friday. Can I go?"

T'Beth's jaw dropped. Her eyes went to Aaron, but his expression was too bland to read. Rose-Ellen and Louis sat quietly awaiting her response. With a knot in her stomach, she turned back to Bethany and said, "Ricky Romano—the one who's always darting around the neighborhood on that Airbike?"

Bethany replied in a defensive tone. "Ricky's nice. Your brother Jamie rode horses at that age. What's the difference?"

"The difference?" T'Beth said tartly. "That Romano boy is too old for you. I don't want you seeing him, period." She could not resist adding, "Mercy High—so that's _his_ school. It's all starting to make sense now."

Bethany lunged to her feet. "He's not too old for me! Just look at Dad—he's years and years older than you!" At that, she turned her appeal on Aaron. "Dad, tell her. Tell her he's not too old."

Without waiting for an answer, she rushed tearfully from the kitchen.

That very day, T'Beth arranged her schedule so she could pick up the girls from their bus stop, even though it was within easy walking distance. Bethany developed a sullen attitude that carried into the classroom, as well. By month's end, T'Beth had exhausted all her disciplinary techniques, without avail. Nothing seemed to work.

"This is a nightmare," she told Aaron in the privacy of their bedroom. Pacing, she flung out her arms in frustration. "My poor father. Now I know what I put him through—and she's only fourteen—it's only just starting. Ricky Romano, zooming around on that damn Airbike!"

Quietly Aaron said, "I've ridden Airbikes. Remember?"

"Well of course," she replied testily. "But that's different."

Aaron walked over to a window and gazed out at the street. "I've done some investigating. Ricky's father is in Starfleet. It's a decent Catholic family; why, we've even seen them at church. The boy does well in school and hasn't been in any trouble."

"Not yet." T'Beth felt her anger building. "What is this? Whose side are you on?"

Aaron turned. His gentle brown eyes pleaded with her to understand. "I only want what's best for everyone. Ricky does seem to be a nice boy. Would you rather Bethany show interest in someone older—a grown man—like some girls?" Though delicately phrased, he might as well have said, "Like you did, T'Beth?"

It struck such a nerve that she could only say, "You don't understand Sy blood. You don't understand what it's like."

Walking over, he put his hands on her shoulders. "You used to think that your father was too strict when it came to boys. I believe he was. Remember how you used to sneak out? Don't you think Bethany will try the same thing? T'Beth, why not let her invite Ricky here, where we can keep a close eye on them. Why not give her a chance? From what you've told me, your own experience with your first boyfriend was actually quite innocent."

T'Beth cringed at the memory of how she later used that same boyfriend in a steamy seaside encounter. "Aaron, Bethany has more Sy blood than me, and _I_ couldn't control it. I don't care how decent that boy is—he won't be able to resist her."

"Jim Kirk resisted you," he reminded her. "He helped teach you the importance of self-control. Bethany has to learn it, too…and she has the advantage of two loving parents."

Aaron had a way of making anything seem reasonable. Reluctantly, T'Beth agreed to try his plan.

oooo

Bethany knew she had Dad to thank for this Saturday afternoon miracle. Mom's ever-watchful, suspicious eyes made it clear that she was not happy with the situation. Of course, Bethany told herself that she didn't really care what her mother thought. Ricky was here, and nothing else mattered.

Dad introduced him to the model train layout in the basement, and later they all swam in the pool—everyone, that is, but Rose-Ellen, who was at church helping teach some new altar servers. Even Hilda came out and dipped her feet in the cool water.

Then Alex awoke from his nap.

Mom got out of the pool and called to Bethany, "Can you come help me for a minute?"

Bethany frowned and began to argue. "But Mom—" Then she stopped herself, rather than risk a scene in front of Ricky. Wrapping up in a towel, she followed her mother into the house, where she renewed her protest. "Mom, Ricky's here…and the baby is so…so slobbery."

Mom whirled around to confront her. "No. Of course not. Why would I expect you to help around here? But I'm telling you right now, I've had my eye on you and that boy. I've seen what you're up to. Turn it off—do you understand? Turn is off right now, or I'm sending him home."

Bethany felt herself blush. She did not have to ask what her mother meant. Just looking at Ricky set the Sy energy flowing, and she loved the breathless way he reacted to it.

"I don't know how," she cried. But it wasn't true. Mom had taught her. Over and over again, she had explained how to change her mental focus from the physical to a higher plane. But Bethany liked the way it felt. She enjoyed the sharp, sensual charge generated by her Sy nature, and its power over the opposite sex.

Mom's knowing eyes bored into her. "Young lady, don't lie to me."

"Okay, okay," Bethany relented. "I'll try…I really will. Please don't send him home. It would be so embarrassing."

oooo

T'Beth wanted to believe her daughter, and as the day progressed, Bethany did seem to be making an effort. At dinnertime, Rose-Ellen swept in like a fresh breeze, tickled Alex, and settled into her usual chair to help feed him. Louis questioned Ricky about his Airbike, and Ricky showed an interest in Rose-Ellen's church activities. But as the chicken and mashed potatoes disappeared, it became increasingly apparent that Ricky's interest was turning to Rose-Ellen herself. T'Beth felt sorry for Bethany, but she couldn't blame Ricky for his change of heart. Rose-Ellen was a lovely, generous girl with a warm personality. Now that Ricky was temporarily out from under the Sy spell, Bethany would seem selfish and shallow by comparison.

After dinner, when Rose-Ellen offered to clean up, Bethany scowled at her and drew Ricky toward the living room.

Ricky held back and said, "No, wait. Let's help Rose-Ellen."

Bethany tossed up her hands. "Suit yourself," she said hotly and stalked into the bedroom she shared with her sister.

Rose-Ellen and Ricky cleaned the kitchen together. After Ricky left, Rose-Ellen went to the bedroom and tried to soothe her sister's feelings, but Bethany responded with cutting words and shoved Rose-Ellen against a wall. As shouting erupted, Aaron rushed down the hallway, T'Beth close on his heels. Entering the girls' room, he pulled Bethany away from Rose-Ellen. Rose-Ellen did not look unduly damaged, but Bethany was livid.

"Stay away from him, do you hear?" Bethany screamed at her sister. "He's _my_ boyfriend, not yours!"

T'Beth lost her temper. "Bethany, that's enough! I've had about all I can take!"

Still holding onto Bethany, Aaron turned and gave T'Beth a probing look. Then he seemed to reach a decision. "You tend to Rose-Ellen," he told her. "Bethany is coming with me."

T'Beth's anger roiled. As she watched him lead Bethany away, she came dangerously close to crying out, "No! She's _my_ daughter, not yours! I know what's best for her!" But the words died in her throat, leaving her ashamed. Did she really know what was best for Bethany…or was she looking at her through the distorted lens of her own promiscuous past?

Maybe, after all, Aaron was right. T'Beth was too emotionally involved. Perhaps, this time, Bethany needed a father's touch.

oooo

Bethany waited until Aaron closed the door of the study, then shrugged away from him. In her present state, she refused to think of him as her father. Though he had never before struck her, never so much as yelled at her, she figured that a scolding was on the way. But he had no right to correct her!

Glowering, she watched him sit on the little sofa and pat the space at his side. "Beth, come here," he said firmly.

 _Beth!_ Why did he have to use that pet name now? It was nothing but an act.

"You're not my father!" she declared. "You don't really like me, and neither does Ricky. Nobody likes me. Even my real father only wanted me for…" Her voice choked off. She could not say it aloud—that on Sydok, the princeling Ap-Pakesh had only wanted her as his consort.

In the sudden silence, her tears began to fall.

Aaron rose from the sofa and came over. Then his arms went around her and she began to sob against his shoulder.

"I can't stand it," she cried. "Rose-Ellen knew Ricky was mine, but she stole him. I wish she'd never come live with us."

Aaron sighed. "You know this problem with Ricky isn't Rose-Ellen's fault. Sometimes you say spiteful things, but you don't really mean them, do you? It's only because you're unhappy. Think back," he urged. "Remember when you were nine and you begged us to bring Rose-Ellen home from the Sy orphanage? You offered to share your bedroom, and even your clothes. You were the first one to teach her about God. Bethany, you're a good girl."

"No, I'm not." She wiped at her eyes and looked at him. "If I was really good, Ricky would like me, instead of Rose-Ellen. The nice boys like nice girls—that's what Mom says."

Aaron encouraged her with a little smile. "Your mother is right. But when there are two nice girls, a boy must choose between them. Beth, you have many fine qualities, but like everyone, you need to work on your faults. Try to put others first; that's the secret of being lovable. Maybe Ricky will notice, but even if he doesn't, someday another young man _will_ notice you."

"It sounds so easy and wonderful when you say it, but…" Embarrassed, Bethany lowered her eyes. "But I'm not like the other girls here on Earth."

" _Mais, oui_. Yes. The Sy charm." Very delicately he said, "It has its proper place, within marriage. Until then, you must make an effort to control it. No man likes to feel manipulated. Love must be given freely, or it is not love at all." He paused. "Now Beth, I think you owe your sister an apology."

Bethany's heart warmed, and she caught him in a hug. "I wish you really were my father…"

"I am," he said, stroking her hair.

As Bethany basked in his love, she understood that fatherhood was far more than a matter of genes. "Oh Dad," she said, kissing his sweet bearded face, "I _do_ love you. I really, really do."

oooo

The Arizona warmth lingered well into November. Thanksgiving came again, and the aroma of roasting turkey wafted from T'Beth's open windows, greeting her guests as they arrived. This year there was much for which to be thankful. Travis and Bella Sutton had been together a year. Devon was scampering about on her little legs, constantly challenging Simon and Dane to keep her out of mischief. Alexander gazed at her with wonder as he pulled himself to his feet and considered chancing his own first steps. Young and old alike, they were all doing well, but none more so than Bethany.

T'Beth could scarcely believe the change in her daughter. Bethany even carried herself differently. More than once T'Beth had asked Aaron, "What in the world did you say to her?"

He insisted that he had said nothing extraordinary, yet Bethany's disposition showed remarkable improvement. There were no more complaints from school, and at home she obeyed with only an occasional protest. Strangest of all, she remained pleasant toward Rose-Ellen, even when Ricky Romano stopped the two of them on the street and lavished Rose-Ellen with attention. Of course, Rose-Ellen spoke to Ricky only out of courtesy—she had let Bethany know that she would not encourage his advances—but even so, it had to hurt.

Now, in the hectic moments before dinner, T'Beth tried to concentrate on making the gravy. Off in the living room, she heard Alexander starting to fuss from hunger. Right on schedule.

Bethany heard him, too. Leaving the sink, she said, "Mom, I'll take him out front with a couple of crackers until the food's ready."

T'Beth gazed after her in surprise. They had installed an enclosure on the porch where little Alex could safely play in the fresh air, but Bethany did not like babysitting. Taking a sip from a glass of wine, she turned back to the stove. Yes, Bethany had certainly changed.

oooo

Outside, Bethany settled her baby brother into the play area and sat on a mat with him. Before long, he was clamoring onto her lap and showering her with moist, crumb-laden kisses. Though the slobber bothered her, she couldn't help but laugh. It felt good knowing that Alex loved her.

"Silly boy," she said, wiping herself off.

With his dark hair and brown eyes, he looked just like Mom and Dad. Bethany was the only blonde in the family. Blonde like her grandmother Adrianna, who was half Sy. Blonde like her handsome blood father, Ap-Pakesh.

Thinking of him, she grew somber. Alex wandered off to his toys. A pleasant warm breeze rustled the fronds of the palm tree near the porch.

"Hi," spoke a familiar voice.

Startled, she glanced up and found Ricky Romano standing by the enclosure. Her face went hot and she could not keep her heart from pounding. A sudden surge of Sy-yearning tested her control.

Levelly she said, "Rose-Ellen's inside."

His eyes travelled to Alex, and squatting down, he reached toward him with one hand. "Hey, cutie. Alex, come here. Come see Ricky."

"You remember his name," Bethany said with surprise. After all, he had only been to the house once.

Alex returned Ricky's smile, but stayed out of reach.

Without looking at Bethany, Ricky said, "You have a nice family." His dark gaze locked onto her and made her lightheaded. "Something about you—it's _different_."

She started to blush again. "Different?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure what it is…but I like it."

A thrill of happiness swept through her. Ricky lingered on the porch, helping amuse the baby until dinner was ready, never once mentioning Rose-Ellen. And though he could not stay and eat, Bethany was still smiling when she joined her family at the big table.

oooOOooo


End file.
